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Redditch

Redditch, is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately 15 miles (24km) south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 84,300 in 2011. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods.
In the 1960s it became a model for modern new town planning. It is known locally by the nickname The Ditch.

History

The first recorded mention of Redditch ("Red-Ditch", thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making and later prominent industries were fish-hooks, fishing tackle, motorcycles and springs, the last of which was notably undertaken by Herbert Terry and Sons. Redditch was designated a new town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Housing developments such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate a large overspill from the industrially expanding Birmingham. Redditch was built as a "flagship" town using new methods and new town planning: all the main roads (mostly new dual carriageways as well as a ring road for the town centre) were banked to reduce noise to the new housing estates, and the whole of Redditch was landscaped.

HM Prison Hewell

History

Hewell Prison is on the site of the Hewell Grangecountry house and estate, the former seat of the Earls of Plymouth and has open days for its park and garden. The estate was sold to the government c.1945 and in 1946 the main house was used as a Borstal. Over the years two other purpose-built prisons were built and opened on the estate: HMP Blakenhurst and HMP Brockhill, to hold other categories of prisoner, with enlargements. The Borstal itself was reclassified in 1991 to a Category D open prison, and renamed HMP Hewell Grange. The new 650-bed prison was operated by UK Detention Services, a partnership between Mowlem, Sir Robert McAlpine and Corrections Corporation of America.

In January 2008, the Prison Service announced that the three prisons would merge to be managed by a single team. Its provisional name for public consultation was 'HMP Redditch', however local residents objected and in March 2008 it was decided to rename the site HMP Hewell. HMP Hewell was formally created on 25 June 2008, and is the first in an efficiency drive involving the creation of new Titan prisons in the United Kingdom.

Constituency profile

From 1983 to 1997 the town of Redditch was, based on a series of high majorities, in the Conservative safe seat of Mid Worcestershire. The first MP for that constituency, Eric Forth, moved to the equally safe seat of Bromley and Chislehurst in south east London as a result of major boundary changes in Worcestershire for the 1997 general election, and held that seat until his death in 2006. The seat has been a bellwether since 1997.

Redditch

Redditch, is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately 15 miles (24km) south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 84,300 in 2011. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods.
In the 1960s it became a model for modern new town planning. It is known locally by the nickname The Ditch.

History

The first recorded mention of Redditch ("Red-Ditch", thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making and later prominent industries were fish-hooks, fishing tackle, motorcycles and springs, the last of which was notably undertaken by Herbert Terry and Sons. Redditch was designated a new town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Housing developments such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate a large overspill from the industrially expanding Birmingham. Redditch was built as a "flagship" town using new methods and new town planning: all the main roads (mostly new dual carriageways as well as a ring road for the town centre) were banked to reduce noise to the new housing estates, and the whole of Redditch was landscaped.

A new era for Redditch's highest profile public leisure and cultural attractions has been hailed as a 'bright new dawn' for the town by RedditchBorough Council's portfolio holder for leisure and tourism ... Cllr Mike Rouse, Redditch Borough Council's portfolio holder for leisure and tourism, said....

Redditch's summer street theatre kicks off at the end of July with fun and frolics in the town centre before heading to Winyates in August ...RedditchBorough Councillor Roger Bennett, who is responsible for leisure services, said ... RedditchBorough Council published this content on ......

Royal Enfield, the Chennai-based cruiser and touring bike specialist launched its Classic 350 motorcycle's Redditch series in three variants - Redditch Red, RedditchGreen and RedditchBlue in January 2017... Newly-added disc brake on the Redditch edition is a 240mm unit with a single-pot calliper ... What is Redditch series?....